UPDATE: 8/16/25 6:35 p.m. ET — Idaho police have clarified surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen’s preliminary declare that Byran Kohberger recognized Kaylee Goncalves by title.
“The investigators don’t imagine the suspect uttered any names,” Moscow Police Chief Anthony Dahlinger advised The Statesman on Monday, August 18. “What was confirmed was that Dylan reported listening to a male’s voice stating one thing to the impact of, ‘It’s OK, I’m going to (or I’m right here to) enable you.’”
Idaho State Police Detective Jeff Talbott wrote in his report that the knowledge from Mortensen’s preliminary interview was relayed to him by Moscow Police Sgt. Dustin Blaker, a fellow officer who was among the many first to answer the crime scene in November 2022. Nonetheless, all through the course of the investigation, detectives found no corroboration that Kohberger stated a sufferer’s title.
Unique story beneath:
Bryan Kohberger, the person who admitted to killing 4 College of Idaho college students in November 2022, was accused of claiming one of many victims’ names whereas committing the heinous crime, per newly unsealed police paperwork.
Surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen advised Idaho police that Kohberger, 30, recognized Kaylee Goncalves by title through the quadruple slaying, in accordance with docs obtained by Individuals and NewsNation.
“Someday within the early morning hours, [Mortensen] was awoken and opened her room door [redacted] and heard a male say, ‘It’s okay, Kaylee, I’m right here for you,’ and crying,” Idaho State Police Tpr. Jeffory Talbot wrote in a abstract primarily based on a dialogue with Sgt. Dustin Blaker of the Moscow Police Division.
“She then shut the door. A short time later, she opened her door once more and noticed somebody roughly 5’10” tall, wearing black with a ski masks, standing within the kitchen,” the paperwork continued.
In response, Kaylee’s father, Steve Goncalves, advised TMZ on Sunday, August 17, that this was the primary he had heard of the chilling element.
“The one factor extra disturbing than the homicide of your baby is listening to that the killer known as out her title whereas committing this heinous act — after which discovering the prosecutor intentionally hid this reality from the households,” Steve stated.
In line with Steve, “Kaylee knew she was being hunted — but nobody in that city lifted a finger to cease it.”
A subsequent interview with investigators, nonetheless, revealed that Mortensen later recanted that model, omitting Goncalves’ title from the quote, per paperwork obtained by ABC Information.
Mortensen claimed she was “making an attempt to find out what was actual,” per the docs. She alleged that she was “being truthful, however a few of what she has been discussing, she shouldn’t be sure is factual,” and that “she has been working by way of it to attempt to bear in mind what occurred.
Per ABC Information, the docs state that Mortensen stated within the police interview that she heard who she thought was Goncalves strolling upstairs towards her third ground room and “heard Kaylee say ‘somebody’s right here,’ and he or she sounded frantic,” and that Mortensen “described Kaylee’s tone as someplace between speaking and yelling it.”
She “believed it was Kaylee who was strolling up the steps with [her dog] Murphy,” then “heard who she believed to be Kaylee working down the steps,” the interview claimed, per the outlet.
Mortensen added that “she doesn’t know if she really heard this, or whether or not she was drunk,” in accordance the paperwork. “She then heard a male voice, which she acknowledged she had by no means heard earlier than, say ‘It’s OK, I’m going that can assist you.’”
In early July, Kohberger pleaded responsible to the murders of Kaylee, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin as a part of a plea deal to keep away from the demise penalty.
The killer was handed 4 consecutive life sentences throughout a sentencing listening to on July 23.
Mortensen delivered a sufferer influence assertion on the listening to, describing Kohberger as a “hole vessel, one thing lower than human, a physique with out empathy, with out regret.”
“He selected destruction. He selected evil. He feels nothing. He tried to take every little thing from me: my pals, my security, my id, my future,” she stated.
“He’ll keep right here, empty, forgotten and powerless,” she added.
The gag order on the Idaho College case has been lifted following Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing — and extra particulars concerning the murders are being revealed. On November 13, 2022, Kohberger entered the residence of 1122 King Highway in Moscow, Idaho and stabbed faculty college students Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin to demise. […]
Following Kohberger’s sentencing, Latah County prosecutor Invoice Thompson theorized why Kohberger had spared Mortensen, who stated she noticed her roommates’ assailant on the evening.
“From what Dylan described, I’ve a tough time imagining that the killer didn’t see Dylan,” he stated.
Thompson continued, “At that time, he’d been in the home most likely longer than he deliberate, and he had killed extra folks than he deliberate. … It wouldn’t shock us that the killer was scared at that time and determined they needed to go away, not figuring out if legislation enforcement already had been known as.”
